The goal of the First-Year Success Initiative is to provide comprehensive services and support for every community college bound student through their first two years of college at CSM. This initiative targets approximately 1400 first-time freshmen each fall.

A steering committee comprised of key high school principals and CSM's administration was created to oversee the development and implementation of this initiative. Three task force teams were identified, each of which was charged with developing specific components. At the end of the Spring 2015 semester, each task force team drafted a list of recommendations for next steps. From the recommendations, the Year One program was established.

Year One helps students transition from high school to college smoothly and succeed academically. Benefits include priority registration, personalized counseling, peer support and mentoring, and a wide range of meaningful co-curricular activities.